Harlem Has Gotten "Horn-y"

X300
1

O.K., so my second replacement key came in today, and I decided to get Harlem a little cleaned up before her trip via flatbed to JAG-MAC to get her keys programmed by them. :+1:

However, when I went to re-hook up her battery (neg. terminal) to unlock her doors, a few seconds later she started doing something I have never had happen with her (or any of my Jags) before ā€¦ She started honking her horn ā€¦ :open_mouth: Not blaringly, but a steady repetitive honk, which obviously means the problem is no stuck horn button/contact or relay, but probably something to do with her security system. :thinking: (btw, I donā€™t know whether her lights were flashing as well, as it was midday at the time :sun_with_face: ). Funny thing is I donā€™t remember, the few times her security system has gone off in the past, of just having a plaintive ā€œhonkā€ ā€¦ but rather that same Star Wars / phaser, etc. racket that the post-face lift XJSes give off. ? :confused: Also, I reconnected her battery before while she has been down and she never did this.

Itā€™s like this car just ā€œvants to be aloneā€ and not be driven or something, I swear ā€¦ :movie_camera: :angry:

I donā€™t see how I could have done anything recently to arm her alarm system, esp. with the battery disconnected all that time.

If I still had my original fob, I could have possibly cancelled it, if it is the alarm system, but I have not had the chance yet to program my replacement fob (and I canā€™t reprogram it now w. the horn going off :crazy_face: ). I did try manually unlocking the door and leaving it open, but that had no effect. Every time I reconnected the battery she would start her honking protest again w/i a few seconds. :rage:

Any idea what is going on ??? :confused:

2

Itā€™s definitely the alarm.

Normally, with if your fobs arenā€™t working, youā€™d put the key in the ignition - you have 20 (?) seconds to do that from opening the door, to prevent the alarm sounding - and thatā€™d shut her up but I guess as your keys arenā€™t working at all, that wouldnā€™t work.

3

I would think the alarm was armed when it last ran, which would mean it would go off immediately once an intrusion was detected. If it were a British-market example the alarm would passively arm itself after a certain time interval regardless, without owner interaction.

It wouldnā€™t surprise me if the alarm defaulted to ā€œarmedā€ status upon loss of power - otherwise it wouldnā€™t be terribly difficult to bypass an alarm by just killing the power on car (in past times, some thieves would drill a hole in the battery, if it could be reached easily, to kill the power on an alarm.)

Sometimes a manual disarming procedure is given in the ownerā€™s manual for some cars - alas I canā€™t look it up since I no longer own a X308. If so, then you just have to be able to endure the blasting of the alarm until you can carry out the manual disarmā€¦

Dave

4

On the 96, the alarm eventually shuts off, but it may be a looooong 5 minutes before it does.

5

Dang, I didnā€™t even think of that ā€¦ it still does not recognize my new keys prior to re-programming (I assume it is something electronic and not the physical/mechanical act of turning the key several times itself that disarms the system?). :open_mouth: What a Catch-22 Harlem has put me in (yet again) ā€¦ :angry:

6

What about the 2000s, VK? :confused:

7

What do you mean by ā€œmanual disarmā€? Surely there has to be a fuse or relay somewhere that I can pull to either disconnect the alarm system or at least the horn from sounding ā€¦ ? :pray:

8

Someone on the other Jag forum recommended trying to turn the key in he door several times, vs. just once, to disarm. He also suggested (and I had thought about this too) disconnecting the positive lead of the battery and then reconnecting them both (actually, touching the end of the cables together for 15+ secs to do a ā€œhard resetā€ of things before re-connection). Does anyone here think either of those steps might work? :confused: Again, itā€™s strange it only did this on this last re-connection of the battery. :thinking:

Motorman?

9

If the other steps donā€™t help, pulling the fuse or relay for the horn might stop the noise. But I donā€™t think youā€™ll be able to start the car, since the security unit would presumably still immobilize the power train.

Another option is to unplug the horns. Of course all this does is let you get some other work done without the noise. The security module if I recall correctly is located on the left hand side of the spare tire well. I wonder if you could just unplug that to kill the sound. (again though, useless for starting the car, but it will also stop the rear lights from blinking. :slight_smile: )

Dave

1 Like
10

How long did you let the alarm sing? No car alarm sounds off for eternity. It will stop, weā€™ll before a battery Is drained.

You could disconnect the horn. The facelift has both a fuse and a relay. I suggest you check your electrical guide, should have that printed out by now, no?

Would love to hear from you about this ā€œhard resetā€. Iā€™m not convinced this is a thing for cars this late in production. Would love to hear of a confirmed thing it cures on a 94.

11

Thanks, VK. I do have the regular factory repair manual on CD. Looks like the diagram for the horns is on page 145 of the electrical guide. There is a relay shown for them, but now need to track it down. Iā€™m hoping the location of it is shown in the Userā€™s Guide.

12

There may also be a fuseā€¦

13

This has got to be the longest, drawn -out, "I Lost My Keyā€™ story I have EVER read!!!

It has lasted for weeks so far.

An EPIC SAGA for sure and I hope this ends soon with a GOOD OUTCOME.

Keep us posted.

14

Me too, Motorman but nothing constructive to add to this endeavor (ordeal)? :slightly_frowning_face:

15

O.K., when in doubt, first go to the ownerā€™s manual set. According to the Driverā€™s Handbook, if the alarm system is active (i.e. horns honking and all), then if I go to the driverā€™s door while they are still doing so, put the key in, and unlock the door(s) (i.e. turn to the right/clockwise), that should disarm the system. Thatā€™s assuming of course (1) thereā€™s nothing wrong with the microswitches inside the lock (had a problem with that with one of my XJ40s and even my X-300 back in the day!
:roll_eyes: ) and, very importantly here, (2) the key does NOT have to be programmed in order to be able to perform that particular function. Motorman, youā€™re our resident expert on key programming - is the security system designed only such that the key has to be programmed in order to work in the ignition, or also with the door and boot locks?

Something funny that I didnā€™t think about until now ā€¦ If itā€™s the security system that is causing the honking and all, then why did it not continue even after I removed the - cable again ? I thought all Jag security systems have their own little internal battery for that very reason? :confused: (but I guess that battery might have run flat by now, too, if that were the case :thinking: ) ā€¦

Failing the above remedy, the Vehicle Care book shows there are three relevant fuses to the issue, all located in the main fuse box in the engine compartment. #3 includes, among other systems/functions, the ā€œsecurity sounderā€. Not sure what that is, whether they mean the actual mechanism in the SS that actives the horns in an active alarm situation or the smaller sounder that gives off warning tones, beeps, etc. in relation to the security SS. :confused: In any event, #11 is for the ā€œright-hand hornā€ and #13 is for the ā€œleft-hand hornā€. Pulling those two fuses should at least silence that issue for now. :triumph: The VC book also mentions that there is located, in the boot fusebox, a fuse (#1 in fact) that pertains to, among other functions/systems, the ā€œsecurity and locking control moduleā€. Confusingly though, it then goes on to also show ditto for fuse #10. :confused: As to the ā€œsecurity and locking controlā€ module itself, the VC shows same to be located in the boot fusebox. As to relays, the VC does not show any to exist in regard to either the horns or the security (and locking) system.

I would think pulling the module itself and/or fuses #1 and #10 should disable the security/alarm system. ? :confused: The only problem with that is it may also prevent me from synchronizing my new fob w. the car, possibly ?

btw, the VC seems to show that inserting the key into the ignition will do nothing for disarming the alarm system if the car is equipped with the standard security system. It will only do so if the car is equipped with the ā€œdealer optionalā€ passive arming system. Question: is there any way to tell just by looking if a car has this particular option (e.g. extra wires, modules, etc.)?

16

There is no KTM for the boot lid lock, door lock or cubby lock. (only the ignition lock)

17

Sweet! :joy_cat: Thanks, Motor ā€¦ Will let you guys know how it goes ā€¦ :crossed_fingers:

18

Well, that was short and sweet, and am almost embarrassed to mention what happened ā€¦ :blush: I did just like I said Iā€™d do ā€“ while the horns were ahonkinā€™, went to the driverā€™s door, put in the key and unlocked it (turned to the right). No more security issue. :joy_cat:

And now, on to the next things on Harlem. I did discover two of her speaker ā€œgrillsā€ (those chrome-plated cheap pieces of plastic :angry: ) need to be replaced. On one of them, which was laying inside the car, two of the three plastic tabs were broken off (reminds me of that very similar issue with the plastic surrounds of the switches, cigar lighter, etc. on the center console of our XJSes :rage: ). Another one looks like someone tried to put it back on and apparently one of the tabs is broken on it, too. Is there some secret to replacing those things w/o breaking tabs? :confused: Somehow, the high stop lamp, which came loose from the rear window a long time ago and was being held temporarily in place with a brick, is also now broken into pieces. :rage: Iā€™ll have to get another one and trace where the power wire goes to the connector for it ā€¦

19

Hmmmm did I lose you, gents? :confused:

Next thing on the agenda for Harlem is to program her replacement key fob (assuming that can be accomplished w/o a programmed key :grimacing: ) I forgot the procedure - anyone remember it off the top of their head? I sometimes get it mixed up with the procedure for Superblue ā€¦ I THINK it has something to do with putting the key in Pos I in the ignition and flashing the headlights a certain # of times (with driverā€™s door left open?) ? :confused:

20

Well, to (have to) answer my own question :roll_eyes: I looked it up in the archives. Looks pretty simple (1) open and keep open driverā€™s door (2) pull high beam stalk toward you and hold while tuning key in the ignition to Position I (only). (3) let go of stalk and then pull it 4 (one post says 5?) times in quick succession (4) car will ā€œchirpā€ and light on the dashboard top ā€œdomeā€ will blink once (5) push any button on your fob right away, and you are good to go ā€¦ :+1: :triumph: